Fowler, Hal

Born as Hal Fowler in county Kent on 1 January 1968. Hal has worked extensively in film, television and theatre. His film work includes the lead role of Bunty in Terrance Ryan’s ‘The Brylcreem boys’ with Gabriel Byrne and the lead in Roy Oxlade’s ‘Plato’s Revenge’. On television he has appeared as Corin Purdon in ‘For Valour’, ‘Alas Smith & Jones’ and ‘The Bill’.

His theatre credits include the title role in the Rock Theatre of Budapest’s ‘Dorian Gray’ at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London, Alex in ‘Aspects of love’, Filch in ‘The threepenny opera’, Billy in ‘The Gambler’, Snout in ‘A Midsummer night’s dream’ and David in ‘Godspell’. He created the roles of ‘Yusopov’ at the Sydmonton Festival and ‘The Minotaur’ in ‘The Challenge’.

Hal played Cousin Kevin in the English musical version of Tommy alongside Kim Wilde. They met during this production. Hal proposed Kim in June 1996 in Calais (France), and they got married on 1 September 1996.
Hal subsequently starred in the musical ‘Martin Guerre’. In 2001, he started working in the musical comedy ‘Under the Doctor’. In 2003 Hal played Mike in the musical ‘High Society’ at Open Air Theatre, London.

He appeared at the end of Kim Wilde’s video for You Came (2006). In 2011, he sang the song Kooks together with Kim on her album Snapshots and two years later they sang Burn Gold/Silent Night on Kim’s album Wilde Winter Songbook.

At the end of 2022, it was announced that Kim and Hal were divorced.

Kim about Hal Fowler

He didn’t really know much about Kim Wilde, because, bless his heart, he’s never been to a pop concert. So he didn’t know who Kim Wilde was. So I walk into rehearsal rooms, he hears there’s some chick coming, who’s apparently some big pop star, he’s not impressed, especially ’cause I turned up late for rehearsals the very first day – I was mortified, ’cause I hate being late – and he passed comment about it in a rather smug way and gave me the look up and down, unimpressed I felt… (1)

This is the best time for me, ever. When I was on my own I always wanted to meet someone like Hal, and I had almost given up thinking I would ever find him. Having found him, everything has fallen into place. (2)

I knew I wanted him and I always get what I want but I also knew that if it turned out to be one of those affairs that went by the wayside it would be very difficult working together so I was very cautious. But by March I had managed to extricate a dinner invitation from him. He took me to The Ivy to impress me, thinking I went there all the time but I’d never been there in my llie. I couldn’t believe how glamorous it was. He had got a wad of money from his agent because he obviously thought I was going to order caviar and Bollinger and was ready for the worst but I didn’t go mad.
I really fancied him and knew he was the one for me. It was clear from our conversation we had so much in common. We both come from loving, solid families and we both like doing the same things but the very first time I took him back to my house I was full of fear: I was worried he might get the wrong idea about me living in this magnificent old house. I took him round the garden and told him the names of all the plants, including a lovely clover called a trifolium repens purpurea. He told me afterwards it was because I knew its full Latin name he’d decided I was the girl for him.
Until I met Hal I’d never feIt I wanted to make a commitment to any man. I’d never been engaged before or even lived with anybody. A few men I’d been with may have assumed that marriage would happen but I’d never felt that way: And now, af ter five years of marriage, I feel very lucky. Hal and I are a dynamic duo – together I feel we can take on the world. (3)

Interview source

(1) Afternoon live, ITV (UK), 14 January 1997
(2) Going Wilde in the country…, TV Times (UK), 8 January 2000
(3) How Kim Wilde beat booze and despair to find her dream man, Daily Express (UK), 14 November 2001